Ancient Greece

Ancient Greece is known for the magnificent architecture of the time. Their palaces and temples were the most important structures in the cities. These buildings had many different purposes, including political and religious. Greek mythology is based off of historical figures of this time, which makes the line between history and myth blurry, but emphasizes the importance of the temples and palaces. 

Temples

A temple would include a central hall, the cella or naoes, flanked by two porches on at the entrance and one at the rear. In order to improve the visual perception of Greek architecture the buildings almost always involved defying strict geometries. The Parthenon is a classic example of this. The horizontal lines of the building are slightly convex and the temple platform bulges in the middle. 

Pottery
The Greek culture included a lot of pottery-making. The pottery material was inexpensive and durable and the Greek people decorated their clay pots and vases with pictures. This was very beneficial to historians because it gave them more knowledge of the furniture of this time because very little of it survived past the period. Precise dating from the pottery is possible because of the switch from the black figure to the red figure on the pots and vases. The black figure refers to the method of painting black glaze on red clay with details incised with a sharp instrument in order to reveal the red clay underneath. The red figure is the exact opposite in both technique and result. 

Furniture
The signature piece of Greek furniture is the Kilsmos Chair. This chair was presented on thousands of vase paintings, which shows that it was very popular and used often. The features of this chair include splayed legs and a seat with caning or leather straps, sometimes with a cushion placed on top of it. The top rail of the chair back curves and conforms to the sitter's back and shoulders. It is very elegant and light, making it both aesthetically and functionally pleasing. The first picture below shows a red figure painting of a Kilsmos chair on an ancient Greek vase

Modern Examples
The Kilsmos style chair is very widely used today. There are many different variations of the chair, some which can be seen below. 

Helpful Videos
Greek Studies: Vase Paintings | http://youtu.be/Lh_ZUXMdOf0
Greek Temples | http://youtu.be/F59pH4UJjz4

Peer Reviews
Sammy | I really appreciated how in-depth Sammy went while describing each of the components of Ancient Greece. Her explanation of columns and furniture was very informative and helpful. 
Shannon | I found the video that Shannon posted about the Parthenon very interesting. It was eye-opening to see how much work went into the building. Her summary of the common types of chairs was also very helpful.